Norris signs contract: After Verstappen and Leclerc, multi-year deals in F1 becoming more frequent

Lando Norris has signed a multi-year deal at McLaren and is not the first driver who has been confirmed for more than one year. Where that was usually only a luxury position for some star drivers, it seems to be more and more the trend in Formula 1.

Contracts in Formula 1 are an interesting subject. Every year there is the Silly Season, during which speculation about the possible new line-ups for the teams takes place. One year there are few changes, but the next year the whole grid can be turned upside down. However, with long contracts, this period will be a lot more boring.

In recent years, young drivers are contracted for a longer period of time. Max Verstappen has a contract until 2023 at Red Bull Racing, although there has been a lot of talk about the possible exit clauses in his contract. Charles Leclerc also has a long deal, he is even tied up with Ferrari until 2024.

Leclerc signed the longest deal ever in Formula 1, and with that the tone seems to be set. More and more teams choose for continuity because a stable basis produces strong performances. Mercedes is the example for that matter. Since their comeback in 2010, only four drivers drove for this team, and not once the complete line-up was changed.

While Mercedes often works with shorter contracts, the two biggest competitors Ferrari and Red Bull now have two young drivers on long-term contracts and McLaren is doing the same. Ricciardo signed a multi-year deal that will keep him at McLaren until at least 2023, and the same is now true for Lando Norris.

Besides the top teams, Aston Martin also signed a multi-year deal with Sebastian Vettel, and uncle Mick Schumacher has a multi-year contract with Haas. So it's not just the top teams doing these deals, but also teams further down the grid.

The Silly Season fans among us need not worry though, as there will be plenty of speculation about 2022 in 2021. Mercedes has contracts with Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon and George Russel coming to an end, and Alfa Romeo and Williams are also likely to see some changes.